Niner Noise
FanSided

Super Bowl 53: 3 ways the 49ers can benefit from Rams’ loss to Patriots

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams points to the field after a touchdown in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams points to the field after a touchdown in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 03: Head Coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams reacts in the first half during Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 03: Head Coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams reacts in the first half during Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Rams’ ugly loss in Super Bowl LIII to the New England Patriots has plenty of benefits for the San Francisco 49ers, who might use the opportunity to take control of the NFC West in 2019.

So much for one of the most elite offenses in the NFL doing damage in Super Bowl LIII.

The Los Angeles Rams managed a mere three points during their 13-3 defeat at the hands of the now six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Sunday, posting a mere 260 yards of offense and not once making it into the red zone.

Credit the Patriots for absolutely shutting down Rams head coach Sean McVay and his most useful weapons. Even if you hate the Pats, what head coach Bill Belichick did here is pretty astounding.

New England’s win in Super Bowl LIII will have some lingering effects on Los Angeles, too — ones which will likely carry over into the 2019 regular season.

And those benefit the San Francisco 49ers, who’ll look to bounce back from an injury-riddled and disappointing 4-12 effort last year. It serves to open up the NFC West for another contender in San Francisco.

OK, how?

Reason No. 3: Rams Were in Win-Now Mode

Remember all the big, splashy moves the Rams made last offseason? Signing veteran defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in free agency, then trading for defenders Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Dante Fowler were among the notable transactions.

The reason why L.A. could go this route was simple: quarterback Jared Goff is still playing on his rookie contract, which is relatively cheap compared to the market value he’ll get in the not-so-distant future. He’ll count for just under $9 million against the Rams’ salary cap in 2019, which is awfully manageable. But considering most second-tier quarterbacks now are making upwards of $20-plus million, annually, Goff’s future contract is going to put a massive dent in the team’s fiscal plans sooner than later.

And with more than a handful of key free-agent decisions facing the Rams this offseason, planning for that eventual extension likely means parting ways with some serious impact talent.

Simply put, L.A. gambled on winning it all in Super Bowl LIII and came up just a bit short. Next year won’t be any easier, which leads us to the next point.